Crammed with musical instruments, Wang Zhengming's home is a shrine to the history of Chinese folk music. Among his many creations, there is one of which instrument maker Wang seems particularly proud.
"This is se," said the 43-year-old, pointing to a 2-meter instrument with 25 strings. According to historic records, the se first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). But because none have yet surfaced in modern times, people could only imagine its form.
Wang produced this incarnation of the instrument, based on his profound knowledge of the similar 21-stringed guzheng and guqin, a 7-stringed plucked instrument.
"Similar to guqin, se has no short shafts to hold the strings in the middle of the boards," said Wang.
Born into a common family in East China's Zhejiang Province, Wang's great interest in Chinese ink painting and calligraphy has been with him since childhood. Sent to a wood-carving factory by his father, Wang developed a good foundation for his later work, carving patterns on instrument boards.
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